Early in part three Miss McAdam talks to Eilis about why Miss Keegan left the house, stating that she went to Long Island? Later It Miss McAdams states that "It might be long island for all of us". Is Long Island used as a postivie or a negative symbol throughout the story and if so why?
How has Eilis home life in America reflected her experience as an imigrant? Why hasn't she gotten closer to any of her house mates?
Why Do you think Miss Bartocci picked Eilis to work the counter when more "colored" customers were coming into the store?
Do you think that if tony did not ask her to marry him that she would return to america?
Why is it up to Eilis to return home and stay with her mom while her brothers go back to England? Has their absences made them less like family and more like visitors?
When Tony mentioned kids Eilis got very scared, but when talking about moving to Long Island she seems very pleased with the idea, Why?
Uncle Sam - Strong Features
"Uncle Sam is a Man of Strong Features" (1898)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín, Part Three
There are a few allusions to World War II in this section. For example, Mrs. Kehoe says “after the war some of the Italians were very forward” (109) and the old man in the bookshop mentions “the holocaust … the churben” and says “The Germans killed everyone belonging to him, murdered every one of them, but we got him out, at least we did that, we got Joshua Rosenblum out” (125). What impact do you think WWII had on interactions between ethnic groups in Brooklyn based on the behavior of these characters?
As previously mentioned in class, Bartocci’s department store appears to be maintaining its reputation for progressive racial relations in order to expand its marketability. Eilis and another worker, Miss Delano, are reassigned to the counter with darker stockings for black customers (115). How do their reactions differ? What does this say about Eilis? Why do you think Eilis finds this switch so exhausting and stressful?
Eilis meets Tony at an Irish dance, even though he is the Brooklyn-born son of Italian immigrants. Why might he have attended the event?
Is there a deeper significance to the fact that Eilis begins to doubt her relationship with Tony when he says that he wants their children “to be Dodgers fans”? What might this be?
How does Tony’s Italian family differ from or resemble Eilis’ Irish family?
Eilis is attending Brooklyn College in the hopes of advancing from working on a shop floor to being a bookkeeper in an office. Dolores’ fellow lodgers shun her because she is a “scrubber” (126). Eilis tries to explain in letters to Rose that “in this world Tony shone despite the fact that he worked with his hands” as a plumber (175). What do the reactions characters have to various occupations say about the associations between jobs and social classes? Do the characters seem to believe in the “American Dream”?
When Eilis hears about Rose’s death, she begins to cry and repeats, “Why did I ever come over here?” (179). Now that we know Rose’s fate, do you think Eilis made the right decision in allowing her family to send her to America?
Jack’s letter informing Eilis of their mother’s condition causes Eilis and Tony considerable distress, yet this leads to them having sex for the first time. What do you think Tóibín may be asserting about the relationship between grief and sexual intimacy?
Shortly after, the couple goes to confession and then marries in a quick civil ceremony, even though Eilis is not pregnant, because Eilis is returning to Ireland for a month and Tony says, “If you go, you won’t come back” (205). Do you think Tony’s concerns are valid?
As previously mentioned in class, Bartocci’s department store appears to be maintaining its reputation for progressive racial relations in order to expand its marketability. Eilis and another worker, Miss Delano, are reassigned to the counter with darker stockings for black customers (115). How do their reactions differ? What does this say about Eilis? Why do you think Eilis finds this switch so exhausting and stressful?
Eilis meets Tony at an Irish dance, even though he is the Brooklyn-born son of Italian immigrants. Why might he have attended the event?
Is there a deeper significance to the fact that Eilis begins to doubt her relationship with Tony when he says that he wants their children “to be Dodgers fans”? What might this be?
How does Tony’s Italian family differ from or resemble Eilis’ Irish family?
Eilis is attending Brooklyn College in the hopes of advancing from working on a shop floor to being a bookkeeper in an office. Dolores’ fellow lodgers shun her because she is a “scrubber” (126). Eilis tries to explain in letters to Rose that “in this world Tony shone despite the fact that he worked with his hands” as a plumber (175). What do the reactions characters have to various occupations say about the associations between jobs and social classes? Do the characters seem to believe in the “American Dream”?
When Eilis hears about Rose’s death, she begins to cry and repeats, “Why did I ever come over here?” (179). Now that we know Rose’s fate, do you think Eilis made the right decision in allowing her family to send her to America?
Jack’s letter informing Eilis of their mother’s condition causes Eilis and Tony considerable distress, yet this leads to them having sex for the first time. What do you think Tóibín may be asserting about the relationship between grief and sexual intimacy?
Shortly after, the couple goes to confession and then marries in a quick civil ceremony, even though Eilis is not pregnant, because Eilis is returning to Ireland for a month and Tony says, “If you go, you won’t come back” (205). Do you think Tony’s concerns are valid?
Monday, October 24, 2011
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
1. Why is Bartocci's Famous Nylon Sale a secret from everyone including the workers?
2. Why would Rose suggest Eilis write to her and send it to her work address? What does this say about the mother daughter relationships?
3. What does Eilis's dream about the courthouse symbolize?
4. "She felt almost strong as she contemplated what had just happened and she resolved that no matter who came into the room now, even if it were Mr. Bartocci himself, she would be able to elicit their sympathy." (76) What does this quote show about Eilis?
5. "She had used a tone that she had heard her mother use, which was very dry and formal. She knew that Father Flood could not tell whether she meant what she said or not." (81) We've seen Eilis take on the persona of other people in her family. Why does she do so?
6. We've discussed how the author chose to tell the stories of some of her friends and her life in
7. The lyrics "Ma bhion tu liom, a stoirin mo chroi" (94) loosely translate to "If you're mine be mine, treasure of my heart". Why would the author chose for the man to sing this song to Eilis having never met her before?
I have included a link to the lyrics both in Gaelic and English
Also a link to a youtube video of the song.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
'Brooklyn' by Colm Tiobin-Discussion Questions
Why was Rose so quiet when Father Flood was explaining to Eilis' mother about having her go to Brooklyn? Why was she willing to sacrifice the rest ofher life to take care of her mother by having Eilis go to Brooklyn instead ofher? And why did her mother agree to let her younger daughter go to a place where they knew so little about especially after all of the grief she experienced when she lost her husband and let her sons go off to work in England?
Did Eilis really accept the offer from Father Flood?
If Eilis had worked at Ms. Kelly's longer than she did, would the situation have been different? Would the thought of working in Brooklyn even arise?
On her way to America, Eilis meets up with her brother Jack in Liverpool. What's different about him? How come he doesn't show affection toward her? And why is he keeping secrets from his mother back in Ireland?
How would you describe Georgina's character? Why is Eilis attracted to her demeanor?
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Questions for Brown Girl, Brownstones
What is the importance of the "new land" the family came upon?
What does the promise of this land mean for Selina personally, and what does this mean for the family?
What does this mean or say for all Bajan immigrants?
Why does Deighton hurry to leave the house so the smell of Codfish wont stain his clothes? Why doesnt he want people to know he is a foreigner?
What does the promise of this land mean for Selina personally, and what does this mean for the family?
What does this mean or say for all Bajan immigrants?
Why does Deighton hurry to leave the house so the smell of Codfish wont stain his clothes? Why doesnt he want people to know he is a foreigner?
In what ways has the death of her brother impacted Selina’s life & the ways the family deals with her?
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Questions on "No-No Boy" by John Okada & "Instructions to All Persons" by Lawson Inada
1. What do you think it means to be an American? What do you think it means to be Japanese? For Kenji? For Kenji’s dad? For Ichiro? Did Kenji/ Ichiro feel more/less American/Japanese after giving their respective answers in the “loyalty questionnaire”?
2. Does Kenji’s dad feel guilty as if it is primarily his fault for Kenji’s current disability? Are there any specific lines that directly convey the dad’s thoughts about this subject? Are the dad’s feelings portrayed indirectly though the huge meal he helps prepare or his stocked whisky?
3. Despite the different answers Kenji and Ichiro gave in the “loyalty questionnaire”, both find themselves struggling at the end. Ichiro is miserable after returning from spending two years in prison and Kenji is suffering a “terminal wound”, the loss of a leg. Do you think it was possible for any Japanese-American at that time to successfully combat racism? Would answering “yes-yes” really have helped?
4. What can Kenji’s stump, symbolize? Can it symbolically represent the Japanese-American struggle during that time period?
5. Are there any similarities between Sara Smolinsky and Kenji? What factors cause the differences in their relationships with their respective fathers? Are there any similarities between Sara’s father and Kenji’s father? Differences?
6. The part where Kenji is driving to his house is described in detail, “At its foot, he braked the car almost to a full stop before carefully starting up, for the sharp angle of the hill and the loose dirt necessitated skill and caution,” (pg 2203). Can this caution and difficulty somehow symbolize Kenji’s last visit home?
7. “It was because he was Japanese and, at the same time, had to prove to the world that he was not Japanese that the turmoil was in his soul and urged him to enlist. There was confusion, but, underneath it, a conviction that he loved America and would fight and die for it because he did not wish to live anyplace else,” (pg 2205). Taking this quote into consideration, why did Kenji choose to fight?
8. The sociologist’s lecture in the relocation center resonated with Kenji’s father. The sociologist stated that the parents of Nisei (persons born in the U.S. or Canada whose parents immigrated from Japan) do not know their children. “If we are children of America and not the sons and daughters of our parents, it is because you have failed.” (pg 2207). Keeping this in mind, do you think Kenji’s father has failed as a parent considering Kenji fought for America?
9. “Them ignorant cotton pickers make me sick. You let one in and before you know it, the place will be black as night,” (pg 2211). What do you make of this racist comment said by Japanese? Is racism and hatred a repeating cycle?
10. In “Instructions to All Persons” by Inada, what is the significance of the words in parenthesis? How would this poem have sounded if it was read out loud?
11. Why do you think the words after lines 36-38, “Let us take what we can for the occasion” (pg 88) aren’t placed in parenthesis? What can this imply?
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Jazz Singer/ "Blackface White Noise"
1. The film opens with this statement: "In every living soul, a spirit cries for expression--perhaps this plaintive wailing song of Jazz is, after all, the misunderstood utterance of a prayer" Considering everything we've spoken of in class in reference to the Old and New World and everything that happened in the film, what are your thoughts about this proposition? Is the wail of the New World so different from that of the Old?
2. What did you think of the scene between Mary and Jack in his dressing room as he was applying his blackface makeup while deciding whether or not to miss his opening night performance in order to sing the Kol Nidre at the synagogue? How did that scene strike you? Also, what was the "cry of my race" that Jackie was referring to?
3.Does the recurring theme of crying seem at all significant to you? "The wail of Jazz" "The cry of my race" "the cry in his voice" etc...
4. This question I lifted from the reading, and while I think it was intended to be a rhetorical one, I thought it interesting enough to ask: In reference to the idea of blackface being a "mask for Jewish expressiveness, with one woe speaking through the voice of another" "What Jewish "woe" does the jazz singers blackface express?
5. What are your thoughts on this "sinister paradox" Rogin refers to in his essay:"Assimilation is achieved through the mask of the most segregated; the blackface that offers Jews mobility keeps the blacks fixed in place." Is this at all evident in the film?
6. Did the film strike you at all as being one-sided in its depiction of the conflict between Jewish Immigrant and America?
7.From the perspective of Cantor Rabinowitz, why do you think his reaction to his son's desire to sing "raggy-time songs" was such a visceral one? What did Jazz represent to him? What threat did he think it posed to him and his family's legacy?
8.In watching the film, did you, at any point find yourself taking sides? did you want Jackie to sing the Kol Nidre and abandon his show, or choose the show over his family's request?
9.Do you agree with Rogin that "Blacks may have seemed the most distinctively American people" and that "integral to that distinctiveness was their exclusion from the ethnic intermixture that defined the melting pot"? and, do you think this, in any way, tied into the appeal of blackface for performers and audiences alike?
10. Watching it through modern day eyes, did you find the films nonchalant treatment of blackface at all puzzling or disturbing?
11. The films main subject was the struggle between father and son, with the mother, stuck in the middle, attempting to placate both sides, an idea we've seen before, in "Bread Givers". Why is it, do you think, that when portraying a conflict between the old and new world, the patriarch is more often than not, the torch bearer for the old world, the child for the new, and the mother, stuck in the middle? Why is this the dynamic?
2. What did you think of the scene between Mary and Jack in his dressing room as he was applying his blackface makeup while deciding whether or not to miss his opening night performance in order to sing the Kol Nidre at the synagogue? How did that scene strike you? Also, what was the "cry of my race" that Jackie was referring to?
3.Does the recurring theme of crying seem at all significant to you? "The wail of Jazz" "The cry of my race" "the cry in his voice" etc...
4. This question I lifted from the reading, and while I think it was intended to be a rhetorical one, I thought it interesting enough to ask: In reference to the idea of blackface being a "mask for Jewish expressiveness, with one woe speaking through the voice of another" "What Jewish "woe" does the jazz singers blackface express?
5. What are your thoughts on this "sinister paradox" Rogin refers to in his essay:"Assimilation is achieved through the mask of the most segregated; the blackface that offers Jews mobility keeps the blacks fixed in place." Is this at all evident in the film?
6. Did the film strike you at all as being one-sided in its depiction of the conflict between Jewish Immigrant and America?
7.From the perspective of Cantor Rabinowitz, why do you think his reaction to his son's desire to sing "raggy-time songs" was such a visceral one? What did Jazz represent to him? What threat did he think it posed to him and his family's legacy?
8.In watching the film, did you, at any point find yourself taking sides? did you want Jackie to sing the Kol Nidre and abandon his show, or choose the show over his family's request?
9.Do you agree with Rogin that "Blacks may have seemed the most distinctively American people" and that "integral to that distinctiveness was their exclusion from the ethnic intermixture that defined the melting pot"? and, do you think this, in any way, tied into the appeal of blackface for performers and audiences alike?
10. Watching it through modern day eyes, did you find the films nonchalant treatment of blackface at all puzzling or disturbing?
11. The films main subject was the struggle between father and son, with the mother, stuck in the middle, attempting to placate both sides, an idea we've seen before, in "Bread Givers". Why is it, do you think, that when portraying a conflict between the old and new world, the patriarch is more often than not, the torch bearer for the old world, the child for the new, and the mother, stuck in the middle? Why is this the dynamic?
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